Tag Archives foroptimism

☼ It’s National Positive Thinking Day! ☼

#OnePositiveThought

The Life is Good® apparel and accessories company conducted a survey this summer on optimism and positivity and ran a campaign leading up to today, National Positive Thinking Day. The goal was to “put more positivity into the world, one post at a time.” For every positive thought shared, Life is Good® donated $1 to the Life is Good Kids Foundation to support the men and women who dedicate their careers to helping children heal from the devastating impact of early childhood trauma.

Overall, the survey found that 75% of us are optimistic and 25% are pessimistic, and even though 54% feel negative about world affairs, 86% are still optimistic for the future.

Krishna Kumar Mishra, Department of Psychology, Banaras Hindu University, in Optimism as Predictor of Good Life, cited a 1985 study (Scheier and Carver) which states, “individuals who hold positive expectations for the future are assumed to believe that good things will occur in their lives, and tend to see desired outcomes as attainable and to persist in their goal-directed efforts. In contrast, individuals who hold negative outcome expectations for their future are assumed to expect bad things to happen, and tend to withdraw effort more easily, become passive and finally to give up on achieving their goals.” Mishra’s own study of 426 participants “revealed that optimism was positively correlated with life satisfaction.”

“One study highlighted how optimism or pessimism may affect, or even predict, your recovery from a major life event. Those who had a more positive outlook bounced back faster than those who did not,” according to Georgetown Medical Clinic. Additionally, optimists tend to, “Be more likely to practice preventive health measures because they believe their actions make a difference.”

Further, “Optimists tend to see setbacks as specific, temporary, and changeable. Because of this, they are motivated to take action. Non-optimists tend to look at setbacks as general, permanent, and hopeless—symptoms of widespread failure that cannot be changed or managed.”

People who meditate are 9% more likely to be optismistic than those who don’t.

People who exercise at least once a week are 41% more likely to be optimistic than those who don’t.

The Art of Living suggests the ability “to control our mind and keep it centered” is a “skill can be nurtured when we give our minds the time and space to decelerate and rest for a while.” The site suggests twenty minutes of meditation per day can facilitate this.

“The peace and happiness we access on our mats is no accident.

Although many write it off as just another exercise-induced dopamine high, yoga goes deeper than that. The mind-body connection created in yoga is thought to facilitate change at a cellular level.

When we weave positive intention into our movements, we are imprinting these thoughts, not only on our minds, but also on our bodies. We are effecting change on our mat that will allow for change off our mat,” states Caroline Layzell, in DoYouYoga.

Plus, “The more positive, blissful, and happy we are, the more sharp and alert we become,” according to Hengameh Fazeli, Gaia.com.

Arun Goel, Health and Yoga, that to develop positivism, we must embrace the concept of “Attitudinal” Yoga. According to this concept of yoga, the path to a positive attitude can be found through a 3-step approach, namely,

Awareness

Acceptance; and

Attitude

At Sunrise Yoga, you will find the opportunity to reduce stress, to breathe freely, and to gain strength, flexibility, and peace of mind and as the Sunrise Yoga Studio logo suggests, we are about growth, balance, and peace. We want our studio, and ultimately your yoga practice, to find the mind, body, spirit connection that comes from the practice of yoga and meditation.

2. Change your perspective – being upside down can flip a negative outlook right on its head.

3. Taking time to relax and unplug – “me time” is so important to your well-being, and yoga can be that perfect time to shift your focus inward and do something good for yourself.

4. Improve your mood – Even optimists can find themselves in a bad mood – yoga is proven to improve and elevate your mood, especially through back bending poses like Bow or Wheel.

5. Breathing – Deep breathing that is done during yoga is one of the best and easiest stress relievers. It also helps to oxygenate the blood and awaken the brain. Doing some deep breathing exercises for just a few minutes can help reset your whole day.

6. Trying something new – shutting down the negative voice in your head that says you will fall if you try a new arm balance or try to tackle the crow pose. Shut off the “I don’t think I can do this” part of your brain and get to it.

7. Meditation – letting go of all thoughts, releasing negativity and tension, and creating new space for new opportunities.

8. Overcoming the impossible and conquering fears – sitting silently in stillness or diving into an impossible looking/challenging pose can be very scary! With consistent yoga practice things become possible, and can make you more resilient and prone to looking for the silver lining.

9. Healthy body – yoga helps to achieve fitness goals and improve health conditions in the body which leads to an overall better life.

10. Gratitude – yoga teaches you to live in the present and be grateful for what you have and what you can do now.

We have classes for all levels of experience in both yoga and meditation at Sunrise Yoga Studio. Celebrate National Positive Thinking Day by participating in a class and let’s spread a little more optimism and positivity into the world!

Register for classes through the Sunrise Yoga app, online, or through the studio.

Use the hashtag #OnePositiveThoughtWithSYSYoga and share your thoughts with us!

In celebration of National Yoga Month, Sunrise Yoga is offering a FREE YOGA class for students NEW to Sunrise Yoga Studio on Saturday, September 22nd, 10:30-11:30 am! Attendees may also take advantage of a ONE DAY ONLY special offer! 30 Days of Yoga for $25! (Available only to those new to Sunrise Yoga. Must attend this class and must purchase in studio.)